Sir Lindsay Hoyle praises Isle of Man in new stained-glassed window depicting Crown Dependencies

  • Sir Lindsay Hoyle: "If it's raining on the Isle of Man, I know an hour later I'm going to get the same rain"

The Speaker of the House of Commons has praised the Isle of Man after unveiling a new stained-glass window depicting the Crown Dependencies.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: "It really does mean a lot to me. There's the Isle of Man. If I look on the weather report and it's raining on the Isle of Man, I know an hour later I'm going to get the same rain.

"It's that close proximity between the Isle of Man and Lancashire, I think we are one.

"And I wanted to make sure that they had the recognition."

The Speaker commissioned the stained-glass window depicting all 16 British Overseas Territories and the three Crown Dependencies to serve as a "permanent and tangible reminder of the strong and close links between the UK and its wider family".

Speaker: 'Crown Dependencies have been overlooked for too long'
The Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man are represented on the stained-glass window. Credit: ITV News

As the MP for Chorley in Lancashire, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said his constituents have a 'close connection' to the Isle of Man.

Speaking of previous visits to the island, he said: "I love to visit the Isle of Man.

"The visits I've had speaking to their parliament, being there on Tynwald Day, means so much to both of us.

"But it means so much because it's that connection between my Lancashire roots and the Isle of Man, and keeping that tight really matters to me."

  • Sir Lindsay Hoyle: "I have great friends on the Isle of Man"

The Speaker said: "In my opinion, the Overseas Territories and dependencies have been overlooked for too long - yet many of the decisions we make here in the UK have a huge impact on their futures.

"They are important to me – they are part of our United Kingdom family - and I want to provide them with a platform on which to speak, to air their concerns, to share experiences and to enable us to learn from each other.

"From now on, every single person coming into Speaker’s House will be reminded of how closely we are connected."

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